ALLANAH ZITSERMAN | Festival Director

Allanah is a Bachelor of Business graduate from the University of Technology, Sydney. She worked as an events promoter before becoming an independent writer/producer and establishing Screen Artists, an independent production company, creating unique Australian films. In 2000, Allanah won the AFI Best Original Screenplay Award for her first feature film Russian Doll. In 2005, Allanah moved to Dungog, which inspires her both creatively and spiritually. In 2007, she founded the Dungog Film Festival and is responsible for its artistic vision and operational and business activities.

STAVROS KAZANTZIDIS | Managing Director

Stavros graduated from Sydney College of the Arts (Sydney University) before studying at The Australian Film Television & Radio School. His graduation film, Road To Alice, was the winner of the 1992 Australian Film Institute Best Short Film Award. It also scooped the 1992 Channel Four Young Filmmaker of the Year Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival. Stavros has won numerous accolades including an AFI Best Original Screenplay Award for the internationally successful Russian Doll.

ANDREW LAWRENCE | Program Manager

Andrew Lawrence graduated The Australian Film, Television and Radio School in 2002 (M.A.HONS). He has directed six short films from 1994 – 2007 and the first 90-minute experimental feature Amnesia at AFTRS. He has been the Head Of Directing at Macquarie University, The International Film School Sydney and a guest lecturer at New South Wales University. He has worked on documentaries for The Indigenous Land Council of Rockhampton and New South Wales Parks And Wild Life Services.

NOUR ZOETMULDER | Event Manager

CLAUDIA SALACAN | Production Co-ordintor

Claudia is a graduate from Macquarie Univeristy where she studied film closely. She has recently come back from a long trip from Spain, through South East Asia until Tanzania where she has discovered her passion for documentary film making in exotic places and diverse subjects. She is glad to be back in her roots, here at Dungog Film Festival.